Ye Ling slowly opened his eyes, finding himself lying in an ocean condensed from pure energy.
"What is this..."
Ye Ling felt the dense energy surrounding him, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
After he and Tian Xing entered the barrier of World Power, he suddenly felt an irresistible suction from within the Great Seed Source.
He didn't even have time to resist before his soul was sucked into the Seed Source.
"Ye Ling..."
At this moment, an ethereal voice sounded around him, calling Ye Ling's name.
"Who?"
Hearing the voice, Ye Ling immediately stood up and asked quickly.
"I am the core of the Origin Upper Realm, the Seed Source," the ethereal voice replied indifferently.
"The Seed Source actually has consciousness?" Hearing the voice's answer, Ye Ling's heart was instantly stirred by immense shock, and he exclaimed.
He had seen many Seed Sources and learned about them from numerous ancient texts, knowing that Seed Sources were aggregations of infinite energy, capable of making living beings supreme...
But he had never heard that a Seed Source could possess self-awareness!
Even A Yun, who had existed since the very beginning of the Origin Upper Realm, didn't know about such a thing!
"All things in the world have spirit. Although I am an aggregate of pure energy, it does not mean I cannot develop will," the Seed Source replied calmly.
"I am not only the Seed Source, but also the Heavenly Dao of the Origin Upper Realm, responsible for maintaining the balance of the world."
"Alright..."
Ye Ling forced himself to accept this premise and then asked the Seed Source, "Then what is your purpose in pulling my soul to this place?"
"I need to have an equal dialogue with you," the Seed Source said indifferently.
"An equal dialogue?" A hint of surprise flashed in Ye Ling's eyes.
The Seed Source said, "Yes... Ye Ling, as the Emperor Ancestor, you are the most important person in this world. Your importance far surpasses that of other beings, including me."
"Therefore, I have brought you here to establish an equal footing with you for a conversation."
"Is... is it that exaggerated?" Hearing the Seed Source's words, Ye Ling's mouth twitched. He was still unaccustomed to it.
Although he knew he was the Emperor Ancestor and had opened up a completely new cultivation system, he only felt he was slightly special, not important to the entire world.
The Seed Source continued indifferently, "Shan'e created me with the purpose of being absorbed by the Emperor Ancestor, allowing the Emperor Ancestor to become a supreme being."
"Ye Ling, my existence is to be your stepping stone, to help you ascend to higher realms."
Hearing these words from the Seed Source, Ye Ling suddenly felt something was wrong. He secretly became vigilant and asked the Seed Source, "So, what do you mean now?"
The Seed Source continued, "This space is a 'Self-Me Space' that I have spent a trillion years creating, by manipulating the supreme beings of the Origin Upper Realm and sacrificing nearly ten thousand Seed Sources from the lower realms."
"Within this space, whatever you and I do will only be known to the two of us, and even Shan'e cannot pry into it."
At this moment, Ye Ling's hair stood on end, and a sense of crisis surged in his heart. He quickly questioned the Seed Source, "What do you want to do in this space?"
The Seed Source said, "As I said, I only wish to have an equal dialogue with you."
"From my birth, I was destined to be absorbed by the Emperor Ancestor, to become the Emperor Ancestor's stepping stone... This is Shan'e's command, my fate. I cannot resist, nor can I refuse."
"But... while I cannot resist, it does not mean this is fair, nor does it mean I will willingly let the Emperor Ancestor absorb me."
"Since the Seed Source is destined to be absorbed by the Emperor Ancestor, then I shall become Ye Ling, and Ye Ling, you shall become me..."
"Ye Ling, I want to have a fair duel with you in the Self-Me Space. Whoever wins... shall be the Emperor Ancestor!"
As soon as the Seed Source finished speaking, Ye Ling suddenly felt an extremely powerful pressure descending from above. Vast amounts of energy surged into his body from all directions, beginning to modify his soul!
"Damn it!"
Ye Ling was caught off guard by this sudden attack, but he didn't have time to confirm his situation. He immediately summoned his Devouring Domain and Ink Realm to prevent the surrounding energy from altering his soul.
Seeing Ye Ling use the Devouring Domain and Ink Realm, the Seed Source was not flustered and said indifferently, "Devouring Domain and Ink Realm... Ye Ling, although the inheritance you received from Shan'e can threaten my existence, I learned them the moment you used them to modify the barrier I constructed on the periphery."
"What?"
Hearing the Seed Source's words, Ye Ling's pupils contracted slightly, but before he could react, he saw a Devouring Domain and Ink Realm appear above him, constantly canceling out his own domains!
With two Devouring Domains and two Ink Realms canceling each other out, Ye Ling's soul was once again forcefully infused with powerful energy, and his soul attributes were rapidly modified.
At this point, Ye Ling finally understood. The Seed Source had been preparing for so long, just waiting for him to walk into the trap!
Then the Seed Source would possess him and transform him into the Seed Source's consciousness.
The reason the Seed Source had only absorbed his soul into this Self-Me Space was because the Seed Source still needed his body to completely become him!
"Seed Source... you've really played a clever game! But I have no interest in becoming someone's stepping stone!"
After realizing the Seed Source's plan, Ye Ling decided not to wait passively and began to try to resist the Seed Source's erosion.
Although he could no longer use the Devouring Domain and Ink Realm, it didn't mean he had no other means.
The Power of Creation and Runes were also trump cards given to him by Shan'e!
Boom!
Ye Ling directly drew upon the pure energy that was crazily surging into his body, converting it into the Power of Creation, and then using the Power of Creation to create Runes to strengthen his soul!
With the help of the Power of Creation and Runes, Ye Ling stabilized his soul and smiled at the Seed Source, "Seed Source... if you want to transform me into you, you need to give me your own power. This way, I can use your power against you!"
The Seed Source was not surprised by Ye Ling's resistance and said, "That's why I said this is an equal dialogue... You can use my power, and I can also use your power."
"The outcome of our battle will not depend on the power gap between us, nor on the predetermined fate that Shan'e has set for us..."
"The outcome of our battle will only be decided by the strength of our will."
"I also want to know, whose will is stronger – my will to resist fate, or your will to uphold your beliefs, Ye Ling..."
"Ye Ling... this is an equal battle of will between you and me..."